Friday 17.08.12: FDU-Inkingi and PS-Imberakuri public protest in Rwanda

This Friday 17th August, Rwandan and Congolese political opposition parties and civil society organisations introduced at the International Criminal Court at The Hague an official request to investigate Paul Kagame’s crimes against humanity and other atrocities with a genocide nature that his forces committed in Democratic Republic of Congo.

FDU-Inkingi and PS-Imberakuri members marching towards the central prison of Kigali.

At the same time, while this event unfolded in The Netherlands, members of Rwandan opposition parties inside Rwanda associated themselves with their colleagues in Europe and marched towards the central prison ‘1930’ of Kigali where their respective political leaders Victoire Ingabire, Chairperson of FDU-Inkingi, Bernard Ntaganda, Chairman of PS-Imberakuri, Deo Mushayidi, Chairman of PDP-Imanzi are held.

Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza facebook pages published the following message with pictures on the protest and explained that there have been as well some arrests.

Members of the opposition in Kigali, FDU-Inkingi and PS Imberakuri, have demonstrated in Kigali as well. Supporting the action taken to the International Criminal Court in the Hague, Netherlands against President Kagame and his accomplices, for war crimes, crimes against humanity committed in the DRC. Those crimes have been fully documented by UN reports, Mapping reports and the reports on M23 rebellion. In Kigali, 13 protesters have been arrested and held incommunicado.

While the world and Rwandans particularly should salute the courage of these young people, the regime of Paul Kagame must be taken accountable for any harm that those arrested will be victims of under its control. It is important that names of those arrested be known to the general public, so they don’t disappear in the maze of the RPF system.

Donor countries that stopped or delayed aid to Rwanda because of Paul

Members of Rwandan opposition political parties FDU-Inkingi and PS-Imberakuri

Kagame illegal support of the Congolese rebel movement M23 should care more and more about Rwandan citizens who are victims of RPF persistent oppressive policies. Unfortunately, this has not been the case so far. Freedom of speech and association are fundamental rights that should be guaranteed everywhere.